10 Awesome Horror / Comic Book Crossovers

With the launch of the Swamp Thing/Animal Man crossover event “Rotworld”, and the excitement building over 30 Days of Night/Criminal Macabre crossover, here’s a chance to look at some of the best, and most ridiculous, horror comic crossovers. Great crossovers should never feel cheesy, nor should they feel forced. But who doesn’t want to see Batman fighting Predator to the death? What follows is a list of ten killer horror comic crossovers.

Hack/Slash Annual 2011 Hatchet/Slash (Image Comics):
In New Orleans, Hatchet’s Victor Crowley is killing unsuspecting tourists who wander into his swamps. After a pit stop at Mardi Gras, Cassie Hack and Vlad, the slasher slayers, end up crossing paths with the murderous ghost. Ariel Zucker-Brull illustrates a provocative Cassie with her punkish outfits and heavy black eyeliner. Benito Cereno breathes genuine excitement as the story escalates to an all-out confrontation between Cassie and Crowley.

Spawn/Batman (Image/DC Comics):
With Frank Miller’s pulpy dialogue in one corner and Todd McFarlane’s awe-inspiring artwork in the other, readers have a classic mashup in their hands. Always on the verge of killing each other, Batman and Spawn have absolutely no respect for each other, even when they share a common adversary. In the shocking last page, Batman throws his batarang right into the middle of Spawn’s undead face, which McFarlane captures in a splash page. This is where style and substance are both hyper-stylized to the extreme.

Hack/Slash vs. Chucky (Devil’s Due Publishing):
Artist Matt Merhoff brings in the horror comedy and gore as Cassie and Vlad take on the pint-sized doll killer. “Hack/Slash” creator Tim Seeley delivers the one-liners you would hear Chucky spit out from his foul mouth.

Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash: The Nightmare Warriors (Dynamite Entertainment/DC Comics):
Jeff Katz and James Kuhoric bring in characters from Evil Dead, Friday the 13th, and Nightmare On Elm Street into an epic blowout of good and evil. As Fred Krueger and Jason Voorhees take control of the White House, Ash finds himself reluctantly becoming a team leader to a group of survivors. Everyone who has dealt with and defeated Krueger and Voorhees are united once more to finish them off. Artist Jason Craig never holds back on the gore and action, especially during the much-anticipated rematch between Tommy Jarvis and Voorhees.

X-Files/30 Days of Night (IDW Publishing/DC Comics):
During their murder investigation in Alaska, special agents Mulder and Scully of The X-Files end up in a deadly showdown with the nasty vampires of “30 Days of Night.” Steve Niles and Adam Jones successfully portray the chemistry, echoing Chris Carter’s witty dialogue, between the paranormal investigators. Never settling for photo-realism, Tom Mandrake captures the spirit of David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson. By playing around with the Alaskan snow and shadows, Mandrake’s moody artwork always evokes a sense of dread.

Batman/Hellboy/Starman (DC/Dark Horse Comics):
Batman and Hellboy team-up when neo-Nazi skinheads kidnap the Golden Age Starman, Ted Knight. When Jack, Ted’s son, learns of his father’s disappearance, the three rush across the globe to find him. What makes this crossover so special is the rich expressionistic drawings by Mike Mignola

When Freaks Collide: Criminal Macabre/The Goon (Dark Horse Comics):
Caught in the middle of a mob war, paranormal private eye, Cal McDonald, and the muscle man, The Goon, end up in the crosshairs. Artist Christopher Mitten keeps the cartoonish spirit of Powell’s slapstick humor and the shadowy look of Niles’ noirish tales. Hellboy shows up on the last page, which as left us begging for a sequel.

Batman Versus Predator (Dark Horse/DC Comics):
In Gotham City, The Predator is on a safari hunt, taking down ruthless mob families one by one. Batman has to protect the mobsters from the alien hunter, who is collecting their spines. Dave Gibbons builds suspense in his plotline as the Predator mercilessly goes after the Batman family, Commissioner James Gordon and Alfred Pennyworth. Andy Kubert’s artwork always captivates, especially after Batman ends up bloody and near-death from his first confrontation with the Predator. Batman’s rematch with the Predator takes place from the streets of Gotham, to the Batcave, and finally the backyard of Wayne Manor.

Superman vs. Aliens (Dark Horse/DC Comics):
When the Man of Steel unexpectedly loses his powers, the Xenomorphs suddenly end up becoming a deadly threat. Writer and artist Dan Jurgens antes up the gore factor as Superman is in a race against time as a chest-burster has infected his system.

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ShadowJayd

It just makes me really happy to see “The X-Files/30 Days of Night” on the list. Steve Niles and Adam Jones presented such a flawlessly authentic focus on characterization by using Chris Carter’s series’ history as a guideline for the crossover. Even though they didn’t particularly abide by The X-Files’ mythology, it was still tops.

JorgeSolis

Loved “X-Files/30 days of Night!” Totally agree with on the focus on characterization. Really cool how Niles and Jones brought Skinner and the Cigarette-Smoking Man into the story!

Boogie138

infestation was such a hoot! hope idw takes note and does another cross over event as wild and fun